American Golden Plover

Yep, still here! What with being busy at work, clocks going back, constant westerlies, and my camera having been away for repair, inspiration has been fairly low! Today however, an appointment down at Newmarket took me too close to East Harling to ignore so around nine o'clock I'd picked out the American Golden Plover that was was found here a couple of days ago. A bit of a birders bird being subtle and rather dull to look at, but I'm sure the finder was absolutely made up! I always have admiration for birders that are land locked but plug on with local patches and they deserve all the pludits when they turn up the goods-well done!

American Golden Plover - distant!

Wilson's Phalarope

After playing it cool for several days I eventually got round to try for this bird which had by all accounts, been leading a bit of a merry dance as it flitted betwixt Cley and Salthouse. With the pager reporting it as showing on Pat's Pool at Cley, an appointment just 2 mins down the coast was all the excuse I needed to nip along to here and get good, if distant, views of the Wilson's Phalarope, a small wading bird from North America. This was only the second one I've seen in Britain, the first was about a million years ago at Staines Reservoir in Surrey (1984 I think!)

New Moth

Ran the trap all night last night, in with the expected Rosy Rustic, Chestnut, Satellite a late Lesser Yellow-Underwing and Snout was a nice Black Rustic, a new one for me and the garden.

Black Rustic

Quiet

After the 'excitment' of the warbler on Monday its been fairly quiet compared to the rainfalls of Yank land birds in the west- Scilly Season is upon us! The last of the local Swallows departed on the 7th, set for sunnier climes. A drive along the coast on Saturday as far as Titchwell produced a day count of 8 Common Buzzards taking full use of the unseasonally warm (fantastic!) weather.

Blyth's Reed Warbler- Nailed!

Lady Luck was my baby today after a message first thing announced a Blyth's Reed Warbler at Wells Woods, a look in my works diary had me at Wells mid to late morning! After getting work issues out of the way I headed down to the pine woods where I piled the pressure on by actually paying the £3.50 carparking fee!!! I had to see this bird now! Scooting along to where aload of birders were standing on the edge of the woods I stood downwind as it were from where the bird was showing and sure enough the BLYTH'S REED WARBLER gave good albeit brief views as it lumbered around in the bramble tangle. A conspicuously grey bird with the short winged profile and short pale superscilium evident and was fairly vocal too giving two or three harsh 'zzick' call notes in short succession. Alas no pics, but for any non birders, think of a female skinny female sparrow with a thin beak- but less colourful!!

MALTA...don't do it

For anyone thinking of taking a nice holiday or vacation to Malta, watch this video and think again. What gives these ****s the right to blast these birds out of the the sky?!! I don't remember a special mandate to let them slaughter the EU's birds when they joined. I will never visit or encourage anyone to visit Malta while this continues unchecked by local authorities.

(the advert previous is only 12 seconds long)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2008/sep/30/malta.birds.prey

For a very sweary debate, and link to where I swiped the video from click here https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3123276740006077877&postID=8495619171115992149

Walcott

As I walked out the front door this morning at 0740 to work a flock of 40 thrushes, presumably Redwing went whisping silently down the street in the murky morning light. During a truely miserable morning weatherwise I took my morning tea break sat next to a grumpy North Sea at Walcott watching the Turnstones when a fine adult Mediterranean Gull, dropped in briefly on the sea wall. Nice.

Mediterranean Gull




Turnstones




Its looking particularly tasty for a Leach's Petrel Fest tomorrow with the wind taking a NW slant with rain, but then ofcourse it would, its a week day!!!

Gull Return

With a blustery westerly wind spitting rain in my face walk up the track this morning, the walk back was slightly more comfortable and interesting as an adult Little Gull flew south low over the concrete pad. The second record in as many years, like bloody buses!

More Shrikes!

0800-1430 gloomy, rain mid-day, clearing becoming bright. WNW 1-2

A protracted visit to Sheringham Obs today was fairly quiet compared to recent days, with seemingly no new migrants 'in' passerine wise. However there were birds to be seen some certainly more interesting than others!
Lesser Grey Shrike - still present and drawing the crowds.
Velvet Scoter - single then three west
Common Tern - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 6 present
Red-throated-Diver - 10E
Arctic Skua - 1 off shore (conspiring with a Gbb Gull to take an incoming, unidentified wader!)
Teal - 7 west
Pink-footed Goose - 40 west
Grey Heron - 1 west
Egyptian Goose - 2
Wheatear - 5
Willow Warbler - 1
Whinchat -1
Hen Harrier - 1st wtr, first seen yesterday flew off west early afternoon.

Whilst watching the shrike a lone goose flew over the fields along the cliff top low and fairly close. Intially thinking it was a Pink-foot, I took a couple of shots, as I did so it gave a single un-Pink-foot type honk! Later meeting up with Steve Joyner he too mentioned the bird and thought it may have been a Bean Goose! The photos below are not great but there does appear to be rather restricted white border to the outer tail, rather brown upperwing coverts and something I've noticed on alot of photos on in flight Bean Goose, the more pointed flank patch rather than Pink-footed Goose's seemingly rounder one making the latter appear more white ended. Interesting. Unfortunately the clarity isn't good enough to confirm the presence of a 'grinning' line on the bill.

Hen Harrier

Lesser Grey Shrike







After getting home for little more than an hour, Dad phoned to say there was a Woodchat (another species of shrike!) on Beeston Bump. About ten minutes later I was watching the bird, a pale 1st winter type as it hopped about on the tall scrub behind the gardens here. Those of a certain inclination may have been able to see four species of Shrike in a day here in North Norfolk with Great Grey and Red-backed both being reported further along the coast.

Woodchat

Blyth's S**te Warbler

A victim of its own success, West Runton scored again today with Blyth's Reed Warbler. A call from Dad just before leaving work " that it was showing well" filled with me with confidence that maybe I'll finally get a decent view of one of these drab birds. My confidence was clearly misplaced as the bird became very elusive, and when it did show it decided to do so behind a bonfire stack that obscured my view! Bored and hungry I went home. At just after seven when it was nigh-on dark a pager message came through that bird showed at seven o'clock! Wow! there must be some keen eyes there to nail a Blyth's Reed in the dark!!

my standard view of Blyth's Reed Warbler!

Lesser Grey Shrike

As I was finding the Sibe 'Chat yesterday further along the coast at Sheringham Bird Observatory, Kevin Shepherd, a stalwart of the set up there during the nineties was finding a smart Lesser Grey Shrike (his second find of this species at the patch!). Unable to get there in time last night, I sat it out and had a look this morning at this smart bird as it fed along a scant hedgerow down the side of East Field and Twenty Acres. The bird appeared to be an adult with a hint of a pinkish wash on the upperbreast and flanks and a full black 'Dick Turpin' mask. I fear Dave A's conspiracy theories will be re-ignited on his return from Malawi!!!!! A Great Grey Shrike was also present albeit briefly this morning seen distantly by Dad

Lesser Grey Shrike

'Siberian' Stonechat

My last appointment today took me into the next village to us, West Runton. With the days work done and a few minutes before having to rendezvous for a hospital appointment, I took a look in at the rough ground next to the coast road. After watching the local Med Gull I saw a couple of Goldcrest come flitting across the fields and decided to look over the top bank onto the enclosed private area. Immediately, a Stonechat flitted up, pale, peachy washed with a broad pale rump joining the underparts! I instantly shouted 'Siberian Stonechat' to absolutely no one present! I was just going 'in' when I was unceremoniously 'thrown off' this private land.

Siberian Stonechat




showing blackish underwing coverts


wrap around unstreaked rump enhancing black tail




overall warm gingery tones to plumage

After necessities completed, I returned to West Runton just before dusk to see if the 'chat was still showing. It was, and with other birders now viewing it (and kicking about where I had been ejected!) I left them to it. A Short-eared Owl was a nice sight as it came in off the sea and half a dozen Wheatear had appeared from no where on the clifftop fields.

Med Gull



Short-eared Owl

Sheringham Bird Observatory

0800-1300 Fine hazy sunshine, warm ESE 1-2

Conditions indicated it may well be a quiet day and it pretty much was. Nothing major to write home about but enough supporting cast should something big decided to put in an appearance, but it didn't! Though I did see more Small Tortoiseshell butterflies today than all year.

Siskin - 52W

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Redstart - 2

Spotted Flycatcher - 1W

Willow Warbler - 7

Arctic Skua - 1E

Northern Wheatear- 3

Whitethroat - 2

Grey Heron - 1E

R-t-Diver - 1E

Whinchat - 2

Stonechat - 3

Meadow Pipit


Great Black-backed Gull's



Lesser Whitethroat


Small Tort.


Willow Warbler

Summer's Over, Pinkies In!

Walked dog before work this morning to sight 153 Pink-footed Geese moving east, south of village. Bang on cue date wise and a real omen that summer is in its demise! Also a Hobby still present to the west.

Bits and Bobs

Friday saw me taking a trip down to Great Yarmouth with work, so lunch time I decided to have a mooch around Great Yarmouth Cemetary. Doesn't sound to nice I know, but this cemetary must have the best rare bird list of any cemetary in the country! Today of course it was fairly quiet with just a hand full of Willow Warblers and two Pied Flycatchers. On the way back to the office an adult Mediterranean Gull was seen hawking over the road at Rollesby Broad.

Willow Warbler

Med Gull

Over the course of this week, whilst travelling around Norfolk, I must have seen up to a dozen Buzzards in total. All have been Common's!

Track Walking

Haven't managed to connect with any drift migrants on the morning dog walks this week. Monday (15th) saw an increased number of Blackbirds and Song Thrushes and a flock of 17 Teal go speeding over the village. The House Martins seemed to have all but disappeared with none noted this morning, just a large flock of Long-tailed Tits moving across the fields which included Coal Tit and Goldcrest.

Long-tailed Tit

Coal Tit

Goldfinches, a permanent feature of the south end of the village.

Honey Monsters!

Yesterdays feeling of hard done-by bitterness disolved instantly as I opened the back door this morning to go walk the dog and was confronted by a 1st year HONEY BUZZARD as it was being pursued by a Rook going over the garden! A long, long awaited addition to the garden list, this one was thoroughly enjoyed! What I didn't realise was that this was the first of SEVEN birds seen from Aylmerton this morning! The track afforded great veiws of birds moving along the ridge, drifting inland and one rising up out of Felbrigg Park with a Common Buzzard. One of those birding experiences that will linger in the memory for along time, a respectable supporting cast included another 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Hobby and another Osprey at about 1100 that moved quickly inland. Great Stuff!!

Honey Buzzard over the garden!

another individual.....

and another!

Osprey from the garden

Garden List 129. Honey Buzzard